Brakes’ late leveller is worth more than a point

After the euphoria of the come-from-behind win at home to Arlesey on Saturday it was back down to earth for the Southern Premier League leaders, with a treacherous playing surface thwarting the visitors’ attempts to play football.

But once the dust had settled on events at The Valley Stadium, manager Paul Holleran viewed it as a point gained.

“In the end it was a good point as we weren’t quite at it,” said Holleran.

“When you’ve got nothing after 90 minutes you’ve got to be happy - it was a winning draw if you like.

“In a 50-game season you’re going to get nights like that.

“Not many sides in any league go away on a Tuesday night and win.

“It’s a tough place to go and the pitch is a real leveller.

“It was one of those nights when you hope to nick a 1-0 and get out of there.

“And if we’d have done everything right we’d have won 1-0.

“But we showed great spirit and character to keep going right until the end and it keeps our momentum going into Corby.”

Leamington take a well-earned break from league action tomorrow when they travel to Blue Square North side Corby Town in the FA Cup second qualifying round.

They are on the road again the following Saturday when they visit Belper Town in the FA Trophy.

Both sides are struggling in their respective divisions, but Holleran is anticipating much more open games than at Redditch, which he believes will suit his attack-minded side.

“The next two pitches are going to be better and our passing game will be more effective.

“The teams will come on to us more so it will give us space to play.”

Despite Corby’s lowly position in the table, they have responded to the appointment of new manager Chris Plummer with two victories from their last three league games and represent the sternest test yet to Brakes’ unbeaten sequence.

Stretching back to March, the run provides an extra incentive to Brakes’ opponents, but Holleran does not see it as a burden.

“We want to keep it going as the momentum is with us.

“It also brings about a feel-good factor.

“Gates are creeping up and they mean more revenue for the club.

“People are more interested in the club and it brings about other benefits, too.

“It was the same thing at Halesowen, when the place was rocking and rolling it was a great place to be.

“But we can’t be complacent, I’m aware that we will need to keep freshening things up to keep the run going.”